In an opinion piece, the Daily Maverick's Ivo Vegter questions the government's sanity - "[a] new bill before Parliament will effectively outlaw weather information that is not provided by the state-owned SA Weather Service," he says. "Warn someone that a storm is brewing, and you could go to jail for many years, or pay millions in fines."

On the 20th anniversary of the global 16 Days of Activism campaign on gender violence, Shuvai Nyoni Kagoro of Gender Links asks whether "the millions of dollars spent in cash and human time" have significantly reduced the violence women and other marginalised groups face "because of their gender", Sunday World repots.

According to a statement from SA- and Canada-listed First Uranium Corp, it has received official notification that the South African Water Tribunal has dismissed the appeal lodged by the Federation for a Sustainable Environment (FSE) against Mine Waste Solutions' (MWS's) water use licence, 4-traders.com reports.

According to IOL, changes to the South African Schools Act may wrest power from parents and give total control to the Department of Basic Education. School governing body associations claim the department is systematically eroding the equal-partnership relationship between parents and the state.

The Western Cape High Court has ordered a signage company to remove nine billboards promoting liquor, fast food outlets, financial institutions and in one case, the signage company itself, the City of Cape Town said on Wednesday, 4 January 2012.

In an opinion piece on Allafrica.com, Mauritian communication expert Roukaya Kasenally looks at South Africa's recent past as Africa's poster-child - first through its inspiring democratic emergence from Apartheid, then through international acceptance, for example, the way South Africa earned its place in the powerful BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) League of Nations.

The latest survey from workforce solution group Manpower paints a gloomy picture for job seekers in 2012. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, released on 13 December 2011, shows local employers are expecting the hiring pace to slow to its least optimistic level since the survey started in the fourth quarter of 2006.

According to BuaNews, more than 78000 driving licences have been cancelled or suspended across the country over the past five years, and transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele instructed traffic police to confiscate and provisionally suspend drivers' licences of those arrested for road traffic violations such as driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and speeding.

SA's largest fruit exporter, Capespan, has concluded its purchase of the remaining 50% shareholding in Capespan International, the group's European and UK marketing arm, from Dublin-based Total Produce for €13m (about R138m).

Industry bodies are withdrawing levies and the CPA is putting added pressure on the industry... and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is facing a funding crisis that could cripple its activities. Acts that are relevant to the ASA include, but are not restricted to: health, gambling,communciations, liquor, roads, and even lotteries.

Business Day reports that ArcelorMittal SA claims it has won the upper hand after a court order gave Kumba subsidiary Sishen Iron Ore Company full ownership of the Sishen mine and decisively ruled Imperial Crown Trading (ICT) out of the running for a stake in the operation.

In a statement on Allafrica.com, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has called on the Minister of Correctional Services Mapisa-Nqakula to urgently intervene in the Waterkloof Four saga, following the failure of Correctional Service officials to abide by a High Court ruling that two members of the so-called "Waterkloof Four" group will be allowed to serve the remainder of their sentences under house arrest.

Business Day reports that European aircraft giant Airbus has refunded R3,5bn to state arms procurement agency Armscor, following two years of legal wrangling between the parties after repeated delivery delays and complaints of cost increases, terminating a contractual dispute that arose when SA cancelled an order for eight A400M military transporters in 2009.

The Sowetan reports that there has been a sharp rise in "hula-hoop" schemes where debt-ridden consumers attempt to get someone else to take over payments on a vehicle. It says that these schemes are not only risky, but also illegal.

The publication of Kaspersky Lab's third quarter (Q3) report, 'IT Threat Evolution', notes a continued growth in cyber-attacks against some of the world's biggest corporations throughout the period. When it comes to attacking smartphones, there were clear signs that cybercriminals have made Android their platform of choice.

Frankie's Olde Soft Drink Company has complained to the ASA over what it claims are Woolworths products that closely resemble some of its own. According to Mike Schmidt, Frankie's owner, "These products threaten to tarnish the very foundations on which the Frankie's brand is built." Woolworths' Zyda Rylands, MD of Food, has responded to the claim.

Business Day reports that the North Gauteng High Court heard that the selection criteria for the appointment of magistrates was unconstitutional. If this argument - made by the South African National Council for the Blind and the League of Friends for the Blind, as friends of the court - is successful, it would have far-reaching implications for the way magistrates and judges are appointed in future.

IOL says that using a hands-free kit while driving is just as risky as using a hand-held mobile phone. The report is based on a study undertaken in the United States that proves when people are listening to a conversation, they are no longer concentrating on driving.

Africa is experiencing a noticeable trend in the number of African countries making rapid progress in drafting and implementing competition laws, where merger regulation is predominantly the first area of focus.

Once consumers have overspent and cannot afford to pay back the monies, ugly little 'additional costs' begin creeping their way into an already unhealthy negative number, such as interest, fees and charges. What the 'In Duplum rule' does is protects consumers and essentially caps the interest figure once it reaches the same amount as the actual money that is owed.